The Pier: A Tale of Goodbye
by Daelie
Summary: Six of the Salem High teens say goodbye following their high school graduation. Complete Short Story


In the early night hours, six departing friends sat on a deserted pier. They allowed their legs to hang over the side of the wooden planks and their hearts to wonder to not only the past but the future as well.  
  
The group sat in a comfortable, though melancholic, silence. No one dared to make eye contact with any of the others for fear of shedding tears twinged with a mixture of joy, sadness, and regret. And, none of the young adults wanted to begin their very last evening together with tears when they could have smiles.  
  
"So," Jason began uneasily, keeping his gaze focused on the dark water ahead. "This is it."  
  
"Yeah, it is," acknowledged Shawn from down the line of people. Shawn sat at one end of the line of teenagers with Belle to his left. Beside Belle sat Mimi, followed by Jason. Surprisingly, it was Chloe who sat on the other side of Jason, with Philip on her left.  
  
Silence eased over the group for a few more minutes before Jason began to once again feel suffocated by it and remarked with a chuckle, "Geez, I always thought that I'd be happier about graduating from high school."  
  
Looking at Jason with a genuine smile on her face, Chloe responded, "Yeah, me, too. But, now that we've done it and are just sitting here together, I'm not feeling near as happy as I had expected."  
  
For a moment, no one spoke. Then, the always chipper voice of Belle broke through, "You know what, we're acting like just a few hours ago we left a funeral instead of our own graduation. This isn't the end, you guys. In fact, I think it's just the beginning."  
  
Placing a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, Shawn said, "Belle's right. Just because we're all going our own separate ways doesn't mean that we're abandoning each other, because we're not. So, why don't we try to think about the good stuff? Okay?"  
  
The other five teens nodded their agreement, but sat silent until Philip asked, "What are you guys looking the most forward to?"  
  
"Easy," replied Jason with a smirk. "Hot college babes."  
  
"Why am I not surprised?" Chloe asked in a serious tone, though her smile betrayed her false indignance.  
  
"Well, what about you, Chloe?" Jason questioned. "What exactly are you looking forward to?"  
  
Her smile faltering just slightly, Chloe answered, "I suppose the things I'm looking forward to are the things that I'm the most scared of. Going to music school in New York will be great, but it also frightens me. I always thought that the day I left for school would be the happiest of my life. I just never expected to make such wonderful friends that I would dread leaving this much."  
  
Giving Chloe a knowing glance, Jason slyly asked, "But, that's not the only thing you're looking forward to, is it?" Chloe gave Jason a quick dirty look before turning to her left to judge Philip's facial expression. She was surprised when he gave her a reassuring smile and nodded for her to give the rest of the gang the news that she was most excited about. Hardly controlling her smile, Chloe said, "Well, all of you know that tomorrow afternoon I'm leaving for New York to get everything set up for this fall. However, there is one tiny detail that you don't know. Well, actually, two of you do know." Flashing Jason another dirty look, Chloe continued, "I've already told Philip. And, Jason was eavesdropping, so he knows, too."  
  
Raising his hand in a gesture that appeared almost like surrender, Jason remarked, "Hey, it wasn't eavesdropping. It's not my fault that you and Philip talk so loudly behind closed doors."  
  
Her smile returning and looking even brighter than before, Chloe continued, "Anyway, when I leave tomorrow, I won't be leaving alone. Brady is coming with me." Taking a deep breath to brace herself against her friends' reactions to the next part, Chloe quickly added, "We're moving in together."  
  
Belle's eyes widened as she asked, "Together as in roommates, or together as in, well, together?"  
  
"Together, together."  
  
Letting out a low whistle, Shawn leaned back and propped himself up on his elbows, asking, "Does your mom know?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. I told her earlier today. That was about two seconds before she flew through the roof and threatened to send me to a convent."  
  
The teens, including Philip, enjoyed a light chuckle at the mere idea of Mrs. Wesley learning that her precious daughter was planning to live a life of sin in the Big Apple with bad boy Brady Black. He was quite possibly the only guy on the planet that Mrs. Wesley disliked more than Philip.  
  
Swinging her legs gently, Chloe felt that she owed Belle an explanation. After all, Chloe had begged Brady to let her be the one to tell Belle. Finally, he had relented, thanks to Chloe's powers of persuasion, and they had agreed that he would be the one to tell John and Marlena while Chloe told Belle. "Brady wanted to tell you, Belle, but I convinced him that I should."  
  
Belle reached out to Shawn and laced her fingers with his, gaining strength from just being near him. "This explains so much. For the past month, Brady has been acting really weird."  
  
Interrupting, Jason remarked, "Yeah, I ran into the guy last week at Salem Place, and I swear he looked almost happy."  
  
Receiving a deathly glare from Chloe and a swat on the arm from Mimi, Jason said, "I'm sorry, Belle. Please, go on."  
  
"Well, it wasn't until last week that Brady told us that he'd been accepted to a college out of state and that he would be leaving at the beginning of summer so he could find an apartment and get everything settled. We just thought it was really strange that he wouldn't tell us where he was going to college. He just said that we'd know before he left."  
  
Belle leaned forward to look past Mimi and Jason. Chloe did the same, allowing the two friends to be able to face one another despite the two bodies sitting between them. With a sincere smile, Belle quietly said, "I'm happy for you, Chloe."  
  
Before Chloe had a chance to say another word, she felt Philip pull her left hand into both of his. Forcing herself to turn and meet his eyes, Chloe found that they no longer contained the anger or jealousy that had formerly tarnished them. Instead, Chloe saw something much simpler - love.  
  
"Despite everything that's happened to us, Chloe. From our first date that . . ." Philip stopped to look around Chloe and glare at Jason. "Well, that ended in chicken blood. To our last night here - as friends. I wouldn't trade a moment of it for anything. Not even that Jaguar I begged my dad for."  
  
Though her eyes were filling with tears, Chloe released a soft laugh at Philip's attempt to lighten the mood. She kept her hand in his as he continued, "I'll always love you, Chloe. You are the most amazing person I've ever known. Somehow, you found a way to get past my rich boy exterior and make me a better person. For that, I owe you my life. So, I may not spend the rest of my life in love with you, but I will always love you in some way. Never doubt that."  
  
"I won't."  
  
Mimi tried to keep her tears from falling but found it impossible. How could she when just a few feet away sat Philip and Chloe, the former super-couple of Salem High, saying their final goodbye? It almost made Mimi glad that she'd never been in that type of loving relationship, because she knew that she could never be as strong as Philip. Mimi would never have the strength to watch someone she loved with all her heart move on to a new life with someone else. Perhaps that was the reason that she had avoided Jason like the plague for the past few weeks but couldn't resist sitting next to him at the pier.  
  
From what seemed like the dark of night, Mimi felt a pair of warm, masculine hands cup her face and turn her head. When Jason had her facing him, he used his thumbs to tenderly wipe away the tears.  
  
Forced to look at him, Mimi couldn't deny how handsome he was or how much she had secretly loved him through high school. On the other hand, Mimi felt certain that she would die if she'd been forced to watch Jason and Jan together for one more minute. It almost made her sick thinking that they would both be going to UCLA in the fall. That had been the reason she'd gone to any lengths necessary to avoid him. She couldn't bear to see him with anyone else when she knew that she'd never get the chance to be with him herself.  
  
His voice softer than Mimi had ever heard it, Jason asked, "Meems, are you okay?"  
  
Trying desperately to find the words to answer with, Mimi found she couldn't. Instead, she only nodded as fresh tears fell down her cheeks. Belle reached out to place an arm around her friend's shoulder, but was stopped by Shawn, who merely nodded in Jason's direction. Belle instantly got the message and hoped that after spending their entire senior year denying that they just might care for each other, Jason and Mimi would finally admit their feelings.  
  
Mimi closed her eyes and basked in the feel of Jason's hands on her face. Soon, however, she fluttered them open when she felt the warmth his eyes gave her disappear. Looking away from Jason so he would not be able to see her disappointment, Mimi reminded herself that soon he and Jan would be gone and she wouldn't have to see him nearly everyday.  
  
Chloe released the breath that she had been holding as she watched Jason and Mimi together. Roughly poking Jason in the side, Chloe hissed, "You should have told her!"  
  
Jason looked to make sure Mimi hadn't overhead Chloe before whispering, "I can't, not right now."  
  
As the teens fell silent once more, Shawn dropped from his elbows, and he laid back on the pier, his hands under his head as a makeshift pillow. With a wry smile, he stared at the sky and asked, "Do you guys remember the time we all got locked in that storage room during that school banquet our senior year?"  
  
Moving to lay beside Shawn, Belle asked, "How could we not? I swear, I wasn't sure we'd all make it out of there in one piece. I thought for sure that we were going to have a war erupt between Jason and Chloe. Who would have thought that they would actually leave the room as almost friends?"  
  
Jason decided that Shawn and Belle obviously had the right idea about laying on their backs and staring at the stars. Stretching out both arms, Jason fell back on the planks, taking Mimi and Chloe with him. He laughed at the girls' protests and he looked at Philip, the only one that continued to sit, and remarked, "Philip, man, feel free to join us."  
  
Though Philip did not find the idea of laying on the dirty pier particularly appealing, he agreed and rested his body beside Chloe's. It seemed strange to think that after everything they had shared, this could be the last night they would share together under the stars. Chloe would be leaving the next day for New York, and Philip's father had gotten him into an ivy league school, so he would be leaving Salem at the end of the summer. He wondered if staying in Salem for the summer months would even be worth it with all his friends leaving earlier than him. He could only imagine how empty things would be. Keeping his face directed at the distant stars, Philip sentimentally remarked, "Do you know what I'm going to miss more than anything else? All of us just hanging out at Dotcom."  
  
"Not me, I've had enough brawls there," replied Jason. "But, don't worry, Phil, I'm sure you can find a hang-out near that fancy school of yours to start fights at." Not allowing Philip the time issue a comeback line, Jason continued, "What I'm going to miss is watching the cheerleaders practice in those cute little outifts while we were out on the football field getting ready for the next big game."  
  
"Once again, why am I not surprised?" Chloe asked with a content smile as Jason turned his face toward hers, his eyes twinkling with light humor.  
  
"Alright, Miss Lane. Why don't you share what you're going to miss the most?"  
  
For a moment, Chloe wasn't sure what to say and just stared at Jason, watching his smile grow as the seconds ticked by. "I suppose that I'm really going to miss having you three guys annoy me."  
  
"What?" Shawn asked, raising his body just enough to see over everyone and look at Chloe. "Us?"  
  
Pulling her boyfriend back down, Belle replied, "Yes, you. Don't worry, Chloe, you'll still have Brady to annoy you day and . . . night."  
  
Belle winced at her choice of words and wondered if Philip had even noticed. She had a feeling that he had. Belle knew that Jason had actually been paying attention when she heard him ask, "So, Chloe, do you want to share some of those details about how Brady 'annoys' you at night?"  
  
"Ah, Jase, that's gross. He's my nephew. I don't want to hear about my relative's dance moves under the sheets," moaned Philip has he tried to rid his mind of the thoughts caused by Jason's remark.  
  
"And, he's my cousin," added Shawn.  
  
"And, my brother," Belle mentioned.  
  
Jason laughed and remarked, "Gee, I'm starting to feel kinda left out since I'm not related to the guy. I guess we should all be glad that Chloe's not related to him, either."  
  
With a collective groan, the other teens said, "Jason!"  
  
Determined to never think about Brady and Chloe and their personal lives again, Shawn tried changing the subject, "Hey, Mimi. You've been awfully quiet tonight. Don't you want to tell us what you'll be doing this fall?"  
  
"I'll be sitting right here, just like always. Only, since all of you are going off to some exciting place, I'll be here all by myself."  
  
Philip listened to the sadness that floated through the air on Mimi's words. Trying to sound upbeat, he said, "Come on, Meems, it's not like we're all going off to these exotic locations. We're just going to college."  
  
"Yeah, away from this boring little town where I'll be the only one left. While I'll be trapped here at Salem University, you guys are going out into a world full of exciting new places. Chloe gets to live her dreams of going to Juilliard, plus she gets Brady. Jan already told me that Jason is going with her to UCLA. Then, Belle gets to go to Colorado to be with her family and study fashion design. And, Shawn is leaving at the end of the summer so he can attend the Maine Maritime Academy. Then, Philip, you'll be leaving, too. What ivy league school are you going to anyway?"  
  
"Dartmouth. I'll be studying business or something. I don't know. I'm not even sure if I care."  
  
"See? You're all leaving me. I don't want to lose you guys."  
  
Mimi's heartfelt words struck something within each of the teens. Though they had very different backgrounds and personalities, they all shared the fear of spreading their wings and flying into an unknown future. None knew where they would find the courage to say goodbye to their friends or walk away with only their memories to remind them of the times they shared.  
  
From her place beside Shawn, Belle finally allowed herself to cry. For the past few weeks, she'd been on edge, knowing that at some point reality would sink in, and she would have to accept that her life was changing. However, Belle could not help but believe that life was somehow unfair. After all, she had Shawn had only been a couple for six months. Six short months. Now, they were heading to separate parts of the country. There would be no more late nights at the Salem Movie Theater. There would be no more stolen kisses on the elevator to her parents' penthouse. There would be no more walks through the park. It was time to say goodbye to the past and hello to the future.  
  
Shawn sensed Belle's feelings of dread and knew that they matched his own. Slipping his arm under her, he pulled her to him, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. In a hushed whisper so only Belle could hear, Shawn promised, "I'm going to love you forever, and someday we will be together."  
  
Belle gripped onto Shawn and prayed that he was right. It was the only thing that she could find to give her hope at the moment. She tried telling herself that college wouldn't last forever and that she would soon be reunited with Shawn. Maybe, they would even get married and return to Salem. Of course, no amount of dreaming could erase the truth that hovered over all the teens. This would be the last night they all shared before heading away to a intimidating new world.  
  
"Hey, you guys are really starting to bring me down," remarked Jason with a voice full of false cheer and hidden sadness. "But, have no fear, I think I know a way to spice things up."  
  
"Oh, really?" Mimi questioned suspiciously. "You're not going to throw me in the water like you did over spring break are you?"  
  
"Throw? I didn't throw anyone in the water, Mimi. I just happened to accidently bump into you after you made that little comment about my hair making me look like a porcupine."  
  
Moving his mouth to a place it had so often been, Philip whispered in Chloe's ear, "More like he bumped into her because he was failing miserably at his attempt to flirt with her and chickened out of telling her that he liked her."  
  
Chloe giggled softly recalling all the memories she had collected over the past year. Things had been really difficult for some time after the website was revealed. Until Christmas, Chloe had been plotting various creative ways to destroy Mimi. Then, Chloe had actually felt sympathy for Mimi when Jan took revenge on her for confessing to the website in the first place. Chloe didn't like seeing anyone, including Mimi, have every day of their life made miserable by Jan. From the threatening letters to the not-so-lovely snapshot Jan took of Mimi in an embarrassing position on the toilet at school, Mimi had truly suffered at Jan's hands. When all was said and done, Chloe had finally decided to let it go.  
  
Once the group had found a way to get along, things had turned out great. Over spring break, all six of them had taken a trip to a beach house that Philip's family owned. Luckily, it had been during one of Jason and Jan's 'off periods' so he was free to go with them. Then, they had all worked at a carwash for a fundraiser for a school trip. Who would have thought that a couple of buckets and a water hose could inspire so much fun?  
  
"Anyway, back to my ingenious plan to spice things up. I say it's time we all spill our guts. I'm willing to bet that we're all hiding something from someone else. It's our last chance to come clean and tell all the embarrassing stories. "Shawn, why don't you start us off? What have you always wished you had the guts to tell us?"  
  
Shawn took a moment to think before he finally answered, "Alright, since this is suppose to be the time to come clean, I've got something I should probably tell Philip."  
  
The teens sat in expectation, waiting to hear just what juicy thing Shawn Brady had been hiding. "Do you remember right after you and Chloe got together and I was convinced that Belle and I would never be a couple? Well, that summer after you and Chloe went to the Last Blast together, you asked me if I'd ask her out if you weren't interested in her. I told you no - that was a lie. I sorta had a tiny crush on her."  
  
Belle and Chloe sat equally stunned by Shawn's confession. Some girls may have been jealous, but not Belle. She knew that if Shawn had ever liked Chloe, he was over it and totally committed to her.  
  
Laughing, Jason conceded, "Me, too. Chloe, now that we're 'almost friends', I gotta tell ya, you looked hot in that red dress. If you hadn't been Ghoul Girl and I hadn't have been, well, me, I might have asked you out myself. But, alas, as good as you looked in that sweet little dress, I have a feeling that Brady is the only one who's going to be seeing you out of it from now on."  
  
Chloe couldn't decide if she should be flattered by Jason or insulted. Torn between the two, she simply remained silent, enjoying the playful mood that was overtaking the group as they happily spilled their secrets. After all, everyone but Mimi knew who it was that Jason's heart desired, and it sure wasn't Chloe. "I suppose it's my turn. Okay, this is more than a little embarrassing, but I'm going to tell you anyway. While we were on spring break at the beach house, I . . ." Chloe's face flushed red at the mere memory that she was about to share.  
  
"You what?" Mimi asked.  
  
"Well, I decided to take towels to the bathroom that didn't have any left. Too bad Jason here had just finished his shower. And, that became the day I was introduced to all of Jason Masters."  
  
"Oh, my gosh!" Belle squealed as she buried her head in Shawn's chest with amusement.  
  
To Chloe's left, Philip was laughing harder than anyone else. Knowing just how modest Chloe could be just made the entire situation funnier. In fact, everyone was laughing - except Mimi. She tried to tell herself that she just didn't think that it was funny, but she knew that the truth was she was actually jealous that she hadn't been the one to walk in on Jason in the bathroom.  
  
Her cheeks still slightly flushed, Chloe said, "Okay, Belle, I think it's your turn to share."  
  
"Me? Well, since I know that my boyfriend once liked you, I guess I can admit something from before you moved to Salem. While Shawn was away at boarding school our freshman year, I developed this huge crush on Philip."  
  
"Are you serious?" Philip questioned with a smile.  
  
"Yep, I thought that if I couldn't have Shawn, you would be a very nice consolation."  
  
"Consolation? Gee, Belle, don't stroke my ego too much."  
  
"You know what I mean. So, why don't you share your own secret, Philip?"  
  
There was always one thing that Philip had wanted to share with his friends but had always kept to himself. "Okay, I'll share my deep, dark secret. In second grade, I received my very first kiss. Remember that, Mimi?"  
  
"Philip, don't remind me," Mimi begged.  
  
"That's right, when I was just a little grade schooler, I put the moves on Meems during recess. The minute my lips met hers, she knocked me into a mud puddle and told me I was yucky. When my mother brought over a clean set of clothes, I told her that Shawn had pushed me. That, Shawn, is why your dad wouldn't taking you fishing that weekend. It was your punishment for supposedly knocking me into that puddle."  
  
Taking a moment to laugh at herself, Mimi said, "Who would have thought that I would have ever had to push a guy off of me, huh? Usually, I repel them naturally."  
  
Jason fought the urge to tell Mimi that she did anything but repel him. Instead, he acted oblivious to her comment and said, "Well, now it's your turn, Mimi. Spill."  
  
Mimi wanted to tell Jason that her secret had been loving him, but she was too afraid to say that aloud. Instead, she revealed a far less emotional secret. "You guys know how I missed three days of school in a row in February and said that I had some virus? Well, it wasn't a virus. I had actually been trying to save money and color my own hair. I wanted it to look better than Chloe's for the Valentine's Dance. Imagine my shock when I looked in the mirror and realized that not only did I lack blonde highlights, I had nasty green streaks all through my hair. I was at home all three days trying to fix it. I was too embarrassed to show my head to anyone. It was even worse than the time Chloe put glue in my shampoo."  
  
Ready to begin a new life with none of the grudges she had been carrying, Chloe replied, "I'm sorry I did that, Mimi. It was wrong. I should have just let the revenge go."  
  
"We both should have. At least we have now. But, we still need to hear Jason's deep dark secret."  
  
Roughly using her elbow to attack Jason's ribs, Chloe whispered, "Tell her, tonight. Because, pal, if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."  
  
Quickly rising to her feet, Chloe declared, "Well, as much as I'd love to sit and hear Jason's secret, I've got a really big day tomorrow and need to get home - now. Philip, do you mind taking me home?"  
  
Splitting a knowing look between Chloe and Jason, Philip stood up and answered, "It would be my honor."  
  
Picking up on the plan, Belle stood and motioned Shawn to also stand, "Shawn, you're ready to go, aren't you?"  
  
"Um, sure, honey. I'm ready to go."  
  
Lost as to what was running through her friends' heads, Mimi asked, "Why is everyone leaving? Jason was just about to tell us his secret."  
  
"I'm tired," explained Chloe.  
  
"It's late," hurriedly said Philip, knowing that even Mimi could guess that something was definitely up.  
  
"I'm starving for a burger," lied Belle quite pathetically.  
  
"I'm starving for Belle," remarked Shawn placing his arms around her waist, enjoying the sweet sound of her laughter.  
  
"Sure," said Mimi uncertainly. "So, Shawn or Philip, can one of you guys drop me off at my house?"  
  
"No!" shouted five voices simultaneously.  
  
"What we mean is," began Shawn nervously. "Is that, well, we can't."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Philip. "We can't. See, Shawn and Belle well they have plans and Chloe and I need to um . . . what was it we needed to do, Chloe?"  
  
"Uh . . .I think I said I needed your help doing some stuff."  
  
"That's right, Chloe and I need to do some . . .stuff. But, hey, Jason, you can give Mimi a ride home can't you?"  
  
As a soft smile formed on his lips, Jason quietly responded, "Don't any of you worry. I'll take care of Mimi after you guys leave. I promise."  
  
Everyone but Mimi knew just what Jason was saying. For as long as they'd known each other, Mimi had been their own special underdog. It always seemed that she was fighting the entire world. During high school, she'd had her friends to help and protect her. But, now that most of the gang was leaving, Jason was telling them that he would continue to take care of her, that nothing would ever hurt her again.  
  
For the first time that night, Philip found he was losing control of his emotions. The tears that he'd been fighting for so long were coming precariously close to escaping. As Jason and Mimi stood up like the others, Philip reached out and pulled them into a hug. There was something strangely reassuring about knowing that while he was so far away in New Hampshire, his childhood pals Jase and Meems would still be in Salem, keeping the old court ready for him to return for a game of basketball.  
  
Allowing her emotions to flow freely, Chloe walked up to the trio and joined them in a hug. With her face buried in Philip's shoulder to hide her emerging tears, Chloe felt Jason wrap his arm around her, pulling her closer to them all.  
  
Before anyone could realize what was happening, all six teens were a part of the hug. Their arms were entangled and their tears were finally starting to ease away. Luckily, they all knew that the memories would never ease away. That was something they would always have and share.  
  
With immense reluctance, the teens separated from one another, their faces all sporting a sheepish grin.  
  
Looking at Philip, Chloe asked, "Are you ready?"  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be," answered Philip knowing that the question went much farther than just a ride home. It was a question that stretched into an unforeseeable future.  
  
Just as Chloe and Philip were walking up the stairs, a voice stopped them. "Hey, Ghoul Girl."  
  
Chloe turned, expecting to see Jason glaring at her in the menacing way he had when they'd first met. Instead, she saw that he was wearing a genuine smile that was free of all bitterness.  
  
"I'm going to miss you."  
  
Unable to find a way to overcome the lump that had taken control of her throat, Chloe only smiled her best smile and nodded, allowing Philip to lead her to his car.  
  
Philip had just started the car when there was a tap on his window. Wondering just what Shawn was wanting, Philip rolled down the window.  
  
"Hey, you two, I need a huge favor."  
  
"Name it," said Philip. He was well aware that this might be the last time that Shawn would ask him and Chloe together to fulfill a favor.  
  
"Well, Philip, I just need you to say that I'm over at your place if you talk to my parents. And, Chloe, Belle is over at your house."  
  
"Alright," acquiesced Philip. "But, can you tell us where you're really going to be just in case there's an emergency?"  
  
Dangling a set of hotel keys from his fingers, Shawn smiled and said, "Let's just say that tonight, I'm going to wish Belle a proper farewell."  
  
Rolling up his window, Philip joined Chloe in a good laugh. "You think we should have wished Romeo good luck?"  
  
"Nah, I think Belle's all the luck Shawn needs."  
  
The soft, luring sound of the water should have helped ease Mimi's nerves, but it didn't. Having returned to her sitting position on the pier after the others left, Mimi had been joined by Jason, who chose to sit quite close to her. Mimi knew that he probably didn't even notice that the bare skin of his arms was pressed softly against hers. Still, having Jason Masters that close to her made Mimi's heart jump all the way into her throat.  
  
"Do you still want to hear my secret?"  
  
Not trusting herself to look at Jason's captivating eyes, Mimi looked only at the water as she answered, "Sure, I'd love to."  
  
"Well, I actually have two. The first is that I'm not going to UCLA with Jan. I don't love her and really don't want to waste four years of my life with her. So, I'll be at Salem U this fall."  
  
Hoping that Jason wouldn't be able to read the happiness she felt was written across her forehead, Mimi turned to face him. Softly she asked, "What's your second secret?"  
  
"Okay . . .I want . . . No, I need . . . I mean. . ."  
  
"Jason, what do you need?"  
  
"This," proclaimed Jason as he pulled Mimi's shocked face to his. Keeping his hands on the back of her head, Jason placed his lips on hers, only able to pray that Chloe had been right and that Mimi felt the same way he did.  
  
Though surprised by Jason's actions, Mimi was not so shocked that she didn't respond. Taking one hand to run through his hair and the other to place on his firm chest, Mimi intensified the kiss. She was slightly surprised by the warmth of his lips and the softness that he showed in each and every movement.  
  
Jason had all fears of rejection erased from his mind as he felt Mimi forcefully push him back on the planks as she continued their kiss. As Mimi pulled away for air, Jason recognized the uncertain look that haunted her eyes. Jason had never been a poet, but he knew there was one way to express his desire for her wasn't just a temporary lapse of judgement.  
  
"Oh, no, you don't. You're not going anywhere," growled Jason as he brought Mimi back to him as he laid on the pier. Refusing to end the second kiss until the need for air physically overwhelmed him, Jason only allowed Mimi to move as far away from him as his arms. As she rested her head on him, Jason placed his face against her hair. He found it disheartening to think that he'd come very close to missing the chance to do such a simple thing.  
  
"Mimi," Jason breathlessly murmured against her soft hair. "You're the only hot college babe I want."  
  
~~~THE END~~~ 


End file.
